This letter from Mosabbir Ali, the chairman of Labour’s Spitalfields and Banglatown ward branch, was sent yesterday to the party’s regional boss, Ken Clark, with a copy to the NEC and Ed Miliband. A copy has also ended up in my inbox.

He complains that no one from his ward branch was consulted about the selection, yet then accuses one of his ward councillors, Labour’s group leader Helal Abbas, of orchestrating the “imposition” of Abdul Alim. Like many others, he says he knows very little about Alim, but supposes that he comes from the same village in Bangladesh as Abbas – and says that’s why he was chosen.

In places the letter is a piece of comedy. “There are electorally unhelpful rumours that the candidate is a waiter,” Ali warns. How egalitarian, comrade! (Maybe he should examine John Prescott’s CV). But in the main, the complaint either adds to the lingering impression of a long running farce in this borough, or it is part of a rather cunning plan to test Lutfur: pick a poor candidate and dare Lutfur to back him.

Here’s the letter in full:

URGENT 07/11/2010

TO: KEN CLARK, LONDON LABOUR PARTY REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Dear Mr Ken Clark,

RE: OFFICIAL COMPLAINT AGAINST LABOUR PARTY CANDIDATE SELECTION OF SPITALFIELDS AND BANGLATOWN BY-ELECTION

As the chair of the Spitalfields and Banglatown branch of Tower Hamlets Labour Party, I am writing to make an official complaint on behalf of ALL LOCAL WARD PARTY MEMBERS to raise our objection to the selection process that was used to determine the candidate for the by-election scheduled for December 16, following the election of Lutfur Rahman as the executive mayor of Tower Hamlets.

Local party members are outraged and completely unfamiliar with this ‘imposed’ candidate, Abdul Alim, whom we have nothing against personally but who has very little connection or knowledge of local politics in this ward let alone the ability to win in this complex ward without their support.

Graham Taylor, the chair of the borough party and interview panel failed to consult local party members on who would make a good candidate amongst those on the approved panel who had nominated themselves. We believe that the candidate was chosen because he is from the same village as the Labour group Councillor Helal Abbas (who has led the party into Opposition after sixteen years in power).

We are aware that several candidates who had nominated their CVs were not even invited to the interview on Saturday. Neither were local members even aware of this so-called interview. This is a failure on the part of borough party officers responsible such as Chris Weavers and others sitting on the interview panel. Many of those ‘approved candidates’ that applied including the ones who were invited to the interview possess far better experience and skills than the current candidate, who has never been seen campaigning for the party in Spitalfields and Banglatown.

There are electorally unhelpful rumours that the candidate is a waiter and possibly a business partner of Mr Muquim Ahmed, Chair of the local Conservative Party in Bethnal Green and Bow. This news will most definitely reach the press and cause embarrassment to the Labour Party. Word was already out that he would be the candidate before even the so-called ‘selection’. Surely, there must be more qualified candidates on your approved panel suited to do the job of a councillor in our rather deprived but multi-ethnic ward?!

There is still a bit of time left before the submission deadline of candidate nomination to the council. We urge the London Regional Labour Party to cancel the current selection altogether and put forward to all the branch members the names of candidates who nominated themselves so that we can, as paid members, select the best candidate whom we believe will win this important council seat against any heavyweight Opposition candidate from George Galloway’s Respect Party.

Failure on your part to review the incumbent candidate’s suitability and replace him with one who is strong will reflect negatively on the party’s reputation locally and possibly regionally, ahead of important mayoral and general elections. We are extremely disappointed by the manner in which local ward party members have been ignored. That is why we believe that you should allow the selection of a candidate who has broad support from most ward party members.

For your information, this letter has been copied to the chair of the London Labour Party, all the members of the NEC and Ed Miliband.

We, the Spitalfields and Banglatown ward party members, would like to meet ALL the approved candidates and select the best one we believe can defeat the Opposition candidate. Please note seriously that we will take further action if we lose this election due to your negligence as Director of the London Labour Party.

….yes but local members must seize power although not at the expense of Labour Party principles. Membership of political organisations with different goals such as the IFE is not compatible with Labour party membership (IMHO). I fervently believe that. It was the sometimes wierd, arrogant, duplicitous and possibly corrupt behaviour of Lutfur Rahman as council leader that brought this whole situation about and that cannot be allowed to be repeated. Yes he won a vote but only 10% of the people endorsed him… the other 90% feeling thoroughly disenfranchised and choosing not to take part in what seems more like Bangladeshi politics than London politics. Labour’s failure to engage with non-Bengali people is a major problem and I think it should be their first priority to sort this out. The documentary by Andrew Gilligan made the problems with Lutfur Rahman and the scheme hatched by IFE/Respect to seize control of LBTH abundantly clear (a documentary that has been found to be without fault by OfCom).

HtheW your kind will never be satisfied with any results, there is always an excuse, you’re just a sore loser. Accept it and move on! You should also be very careful before saying someone is corrupt, your claim is unproven and also libellous.

Well done to mossabir for highlighting this, the labour incompetence never fails to amaze us all, what’s disappointing is the protrayal of British bangaldeshis and the appreciation of mainstream politics. What makes this a further disgrace is the allegation of tribal loyalties abroad. Let’s try to keep it separate, impossible given the locality.

Shame! Shame! Labour Party in Tower Hamlets is broken again, this is not new, and under Abbas’s leadership people spitted face on 2002, nearly lost the council in 2006. Every time Abbas became a leader Tower Hamlets Labour Party comes in muddle. Lutfur inherited the broken party as leader but turned around in two years, as result opposition collapsed completely. Look at his leadeship qaulity, in last election Labour had 41 councillors and 2 MP’s including one who didn’t have any political past in Tower Hamlets, she won only on Lutfur Rahman’s leadership but she is so ungrateful. This is understood why opposition are very angry on Lutfur but Labour members are fuming why Labour went against him when he should be have been rewarded for his first-class leadership. It is about time Ed Milliband suspend Regional Labour Party and employ Lutfur and his team lead the Regional Labour Party with Len Duvall AM.

Who do Chris Weavers, Clair Hawkins and Graham Taylor think they are?!? Especially branding themselves as ““this party needs cleaning up” faction.” correct me if I’m wrong, but it was on their watch as party officers that the whole selection debacle went on. Furthermore, Graham Taylor has nothing but contempt for large sections of the party membership, especially in Spitalfields and always has fostered a divisive approach!

It’s a joke that they think that they can lord it over and “clean up” this ward without even informing local members!

And to stitch it up for an outsider, again!?! Spitalfields has great talent! I’d be interested to know if for example Rosna Mortuza, the WOMAN who was head and shoulders above all the other Labour candidates for Mayoral selection was approached and encouraged by the Party leadership.

After all the crap we’ve been through, all the crap we’ve put up with, and all the crap now in power, we still don’t learn. It’s still a White Man’s World.

If Chris and Graham went on holiday simultaneously the borough party would disintegrate. You know it we all know it. You might not like their politics but who else puts in their amount of hours? Rosna Mortuza spoke very well; I was extraordinarily impressed with her but after speaking with local members I found out her CV was sprinkled with icing sugar. Is she a community activist? Some evidence of this please. Does she control a huge NHS budget? One of the non executive directors doesn’t seem to think so. We need to attract more young women like Rosna. I dare say she is a lot brighter than a lot of the female Cllrs we have but do not portray her as something she isn’t. Rosna Mortuza is also a Labour Group Observer, has she ever written a report? Or turned up for that matter?

I think that they are all apt questions that should be put to her and I hope she would be happy to answer. My observation is based on the hustings and the fresh air she brought to what was a very ugly selection contest. What other people say is also their opinion. Let’s move away from he said she said which was one of the problems throughout the mayoral contest.

I like chris, he’s alright, but I would be more than happy to see Graham take a long holiday. In my opinion, and that’s all that this is, he’s one of the biggest problems in the borough party. He carries himself like he’s above the common muck around him, bullish in his approach. Maybe he’s been in his job for too long, but he represents the divisive politics that pits communities against one another. An interesting poll would be of how many Labour cllrs think he should be replaced…

Just because the candidate is Bengali doesn’t mean anything! The question is simple… Who are the decision makers?

… Rosna was an example in point.. What steps as a party do we take to foster and harness talent and new leadership? By saying she’s only interested in being mayor u attempt to imply more, that is the problem. The mudslinging continues and there is no real discussion of the issues internally or externally. Just barriers and gatekeepers!

“Or does ‘outsider’ mean his parents weren’t born in the same village in Sylhet as your parents.”

You have a right to be ignorant and make stupid comments. But just one point… My definition of outsider is not where you live or where you’re from. It’s what you’ve achieved and what your vision to achieve is. A little more of this and a little less of the Waybuloo school of politics would put us in better stead for the future…

I honestly think everyone ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over…

Everyone is trying to do the right thing. The membership list should be revised with people who were Lutfur supporters suspended. The members who applied to be the candidate for councillor should be presented to S&B branch members. Branch members should be allowed an opportunity to express their views about their preferred candidate. The party chair should be entitled to a veto. The problem seems to be that Abdul Alim is a total unknown… if the chair had selected someone better known this would not have happened.

Nor Rich Mix which continues to lose us money, taking down millions and sucking up s106 funds. Who are the names associated with Rich Mix? Can they be from the same clean-up faction? Yes, it’s Michael “Frickin” Keith (nod to ‘Buzz’), Councillors Denise Jones and Rachael Saunders (no surprise) and waiting-in-the-wings Oona King – all on the RM Management Board. Of course they stand to gain by its continuing existence.

The Idea Store Local public consultation finished yesterday, however the scheme was put in motion by Abbas and others in the clean-up faction. Will it get the “local history” it boasts in its “offer” and from where? What s106 funding is going into it? And who gets the book contracts to fill the shelves of these Idea Stores? Pecuniary interest…?

Oh…and of course the same faction also ‘cleaned-up’ the millions we were due to get for High Street 2012.

Lets Sum this up. the local Branch officers mosabir and the secretary were not consulted they were merely asked for thier views before the interviews on saturday morning. from what I hear their views were that Alim was the weakest candidate from the 6 applicants. who were X deputy Leader Ala former SBT councillor Ala Uddin, former Civic Mayor Doros Ullah, X councillors Alex Heslop and Victoria Obaze.

The Branch officers are in agreement that this was a stich up and their views was asked to make this imposition of Alim a look legitimate, the whole process was a show, as Alim who has had a very strong lobby from a certain group in the Labour Party.

furthermore at the SBT ward meeting on Saturday Evening which Graham Taylor was present, he was slated by the members of the branch.

what we need to ask, who chose the panel of 4, and who lobbied for this candidate, and many have suggested a Mr Michael Keith to be orchestrating this with a few of his supporters who are councillors.

She speaks well but has absolutely no political or policy acumen, her knowledge of NHS policy was patchy. She was a breath of fresh air because lots of the other candidates were senior politicians and a bit boring. Any doe eyed 20/30 something would have been a ‘breath of fresh air’ up against Biggs Keith Abbas and Rahman. I’ve not come on here to do her in I just wished I’d done more research before I cast my vote, it’s all in the public domain by the way.

I’m glad you like Chris; I’ve not had that experience with Graham he’s always come across as somebody who is pretty open. Again I think this is a factional dispute and if you look at where new active members seem to be going the ‘left’ seems to be losing that argument. The CoOp needs new leadership as much if not more than the borough Labour Party.

I’m not a huge fan of Ed Miliband but I’m really signed up to the concept of a new generation, there’s so much deadwood in THLP we ought to have had a bonfire on Sunday rather than a fireworks display.

When will THLP officers learn not to mess with S&BT Labour members, given both Cllrs Abbus and Rahman are both from this hot ward?! The logic is simple: like Mile End by-election THLP should allow members to vote who they want and think is best suited as their candidate amonst those who showed interest by nominated themselves from the approved panel of candidates. It’s not rocket science! And why are people promoting Rosna? Like Lutfur, when did she ever campaign for Rushanara?! Get over the mayoral nonsense, she made it to slate cos she was a woman, though she is not twisted like the other woman, Syria, who spoke absolute rubbish throughout all the hustings! How many people applied to stand in S&BT, does anyone know, someone said only 3 people were interviewed out of a list of???

How funny, Mossabir Ali complaining about an ‘Imposed’ candidate when he himself danced with delight, supported and campaigned for another ‘Imposed’ candidate for Mayor Helal Abbas. DOUBLE STANDARDS at its best…aND WHEN HE SAYS THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO MEET AND CHOOSE A CANDIDATE DOES HE MEAN ONE OF HIS COUSINS?….HE IS OBVIOUSLY AWARE THAT HE SELECTED CANDIDATE MR ALIM IS NO FRIEND OF HIS AND WON’T BE DOING HIM AND HIS FRIENDS ANY PERSONAL FAVOURS.

One shouldn’t equate incompetent THLP officers to ill-informed NEC members who realised in hindsight they had committed a grave mistake by listening to Abbus’ (and Roshnara’s) crap that he’d be best placed to win. There was nothing wrong in Musabbir campaigning for ‘official’ Labour mayoral candidate though there is with ‘unofficial’ Abdul Alim endorsed by 4 brainless donkeys against the wishes of 200 fee paying branch members of Spitalfields and Banglatown. Musabir is fighter unlike loser headless chicken Abbus!

[…] is seen by these plotters as the face of Labour failure and they want a fresh start. (Following the selection of Abdul Alim in Spitalfields, the party’s election agent Graham Taylor is also a target for a coup.) The […]

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